Cover Image: The Girl in the Tower

The Girl in the Tower

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Member Reviews

I was hoping the sequel to The Bear and The Nightingale would be as spectacular as the first book in the series. I was not disappointed.

Russian fairy tales are a favorite of mine and this one has so many aspects of all of them. Vasya is back with the Frost King and some new enemies. Not accepting of the options she has, marriage or a convent, she sets out on her own with her faithful and unusual horse, Solovey.

Dressed as a boy she rides off and finds adventure waits just around the corner. Some mysterious force is burning villages and killing people. Who is to be trusted? Unfortunately not even the priests.

I am not going to give away much of this plot. If you read the first one you will want to savor every beautiful word. The world Ms. Arden paints for us is so easy to fall into much like the snow on the ground in Russia.

I can honestly say she is one of the finest writers I have ever had the pleasure to read.

Well Done!

Del Ray/ New York   Book Release is Dec. 05,2017.

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This book was interesting and engaging, at first. The lyrical prose was lovely. But eventually it began to wear on me. And that's when I remembered that the same thing happened to me while reading the first book. For the first two thirds of the novel, I was very engaged, and then I just started to lose interest. The writing style is beautiful, but also has a tendency to make me feel distanced and less engaged with the characters. Therefore I lose interest in what's happening to them.

When I read the first book, I didn't know there was going to be a sequel. When I saw this, I was surprised and excited to see what would come next. The plot line is interesting and the covers and writing are beautiful. Although neither book in the series is one of me top favorites, they're very unique and I did enjoy them both.

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What an amazing book. I was so excited because I absolutely loved the first book in this series. This mix of fairy tale, fantasy, and historical fiction absolutely absorbed me into the world that Katherine Arden created. The setting of the book, medieval Russia, added so perfectly to the fairy tale feeling of the book. The characters are all memorable and Vasya is a modern girl hundreds of years too early. Don't hesitate to read this book. Just make sure that you start with The Bear and the Nightingale as this story continues from that.

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Loved it! This second volume of the Winternight Trilogy picks up right where the Bear and the Nightingale left off. Just like the first book, Katherine Arden has given us a perfectly written fairytale + Russian medieval history + magic. Written so believably, it leaves you waiting impatiently for Vasya, the heroine, to be united with the Frost King. I loved the look at that time in Russia, when the Tatars were ruling, Christianity was rising, and the olds gods were disappearing. This book introduces some new characters, fleshes out others, and shares a little of the history of ancient Moscow. It's a little darker than the first one, and perhaps a little slower to get into, but it is still a delight. I am only sorry that we'll have to wait way too long for book 3 to be published. Many thanks to NetGalley and RandomHouse-Ballantine/Del Rey for allowing me to read an arc of this perfectly wonderful book. Pure joy! 4.5 + stars!

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Vasya struggles with her intense desire to be free. She doesn’t want to marry, nor does she wish to enter the convent which are the only two options for young women of her time. She relishes the danger and thrill of her relationship with Morozko, the Winter King, and Arden has done a masterful job of creating tension and attraction between the two. Arden created interesting characters in Bear & the Nightingale, and has spent considerable time fleshing them out in Girl in the Tower. Vasya, Sasha, Dmitri, Olga, and now Marya create a world that will pull you in and envelop you with their spirit. While the story is captivating on it’s own, Arden’s writing is icing on the cake. Lyrical, lush, and full of magic and mystery, it will keep you reading well into the night. Truthfully, I haven’t loved a series as much since I first read Harry Potter. Highly recommended.

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"The Girl in the Tower" is a fantastic homage and subversion of Russian fairy tales, just as the previous novel in this series. Continuing immediately after the events of the fantastic "Bear and the Nightingale," Vasya disguises herself as a boy and, with the grudging help of demons, priests, courtiers, and a host of others, embarks on a quest. Where she is searching for freedom, forgiveness, or something else entirely is up for some debate.

"The Girl in the Tower" tackles numerous issues: the role of women (and the ways in which they use the power afforded to themselves to subvert those roles; self versus family; desire, without particularly wanting romance; faith and sacrifice; pride and arrogance; and many others. Full of excellent characters and brilliant storytelling, it's a wonderful book. I cannot wait for the next installment.

Arden's world is rich with family obligations, political intrigue, and individual struggle. Highly, highly recommended for fans of the first book, readers of domestic fantasy and folklore, and anyone who enjoys a quest. Perfect for readers who think they do not like fantasy, but who do like historical fiction.

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The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden is the second book in the Winternight Trilogy. In the first book of the series, The Bear and the Nightingale the story introduced readers to young Vasilisa who lived at the edge of the Russian wilderness where winter lasts most of the year with her father and siblings. It was there that Vasilisa and the children gathered around the fire at night and listened to the tale of Frost, a much feared blue eyed winter demon that will claim wary souls. The children learned that as much as Frost is feared they must honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil.

Vasilisa was different from other children, she was able to see the spirits that surround the land around the family. With a bit of a wild side Vasilisa spent her time roaming the forest and interacting with the spirits. After Vasilisa’s mother passed away her father traveled to Moscow to find a new wife. The new stepmother shared Vasilisa’s vision and forbid the interaction with what she thought were demons in her new home and with promise of either being married off or sent to a convent Vasilisa ran off to encounter Frost.

Now in the second book of the series Vasilisa is now a brave young woman and determined to see the world. Vasya has her strong horse gifted to her from the frost demon and sets out on a journey disguising herself as a young boy so that she will be left alone and not forced to marry or be sent to a convent. Even with calling herself a new name and her disguise Vasya quickly finds trouble out on her journey which ends up leading her to Moscow and her siblings she has not seen in years.

The Winternight Trilogy is a historical fantasy read that is heavily influenced by Russian folklore and fairy tales. The author again did a wonderful job in my opinion with the world building and characters in this story to make a reader feel like it was medieval Russia in the bitter cold as the story developed.

My biggest complaint from the first book was that the story was such a slow pace while building up this world but that seems to have been answered in this second book. It got off to a tad bit of a slow start but as the action began the story really kept at a nice pace this time but still kept the details that brings the reader into medieval Russia and following along with the characters. In the end I’d rate this one at 4.5 stars, an improvement over the first book which is a nice surprise since the middle of a trilogy often taper off and this one seemed to improve.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

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The Girl In the Tower Continues to draw me into the author's world of Russian folklore. We finally get to learn more of Vasilisa's siblings as well as her fate after the events of The Bear and the Nightingale. Highly recommended. I am eagerly awaiting the final book of the Winternight trilogy.

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What I loved about this book- the setting, the rich descriptions, the immense detail

What I didn't love about this book- the clunky dialogue, the long descriptions

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I loved this book! Great sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale. Magical! I loved the whole premise. Katherine Arden didn't miss a thing in this exciting edge of your seat fantasy. You won't be able to stop reading. I actually liked this book more than the first. Katherine has an ability to take romance, Russian folklore, politics, and you name it bring it all together to make a fabulous book. Vasya, well, her adventurous spirit and convictions, Katherine way of telling her story is not only exciting but she manages to make it complex and intriguing... I wanted to keep reading when the book was done. I actually felt the cold and was beguiled by the fascinating folklore. Count me in.. a must read for those who love fantasy at its best. Congratulations Kathrine on another winner! Onward to book 3!!! And whatever else is in her fabulous imagination for the future!

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Literary, historical fiction, with the fast pace and page-turning suspense of a thriller,
AND
Shining with the magic of a fairy tale set in medieval Russia -
Where is Book 3? I want it now!
Katherine Arden has lived in Russia, and it shows. The aura, the cold and snow, the folklore, all the mystique of this vast foreign land are captured in Arden's prose.

Flawless prose, I might add.

The foreign words are Americanized just enough to make it easy on us.

At times I was reminded of the "Twilight" novels, but in a good way. Sometimes I got annoyed that the strongest of heroines so often needed to be saved by a powerful and very old Frost king, but the story is so riveting, the heroine so admirable and resilient, strong and brave, I just couldn't bring myself to complain "Not again with the damsel in distress trope."

I love this novel!

I had to set this one aside to re-read Book One, The Bear and the Nightingale, and re-orient myself to this world and its many, many characters and settings. Rarely do I take time to read a book twice, swamped as I am with ARCs and requests to edit raw manuscripts. Arden's writing is so rich, layered, and lovely, I enjoyed the second read as much as the first one.

The Girl in the Tower kept me on edge. Would our intrepid Vasya end up imprisoned in some tower? Well, maybe, but if she does, you know it won't be for long. At the novel's end, it appears we will meet another marvelous heroine in Book Three.

But, but, will the Frost King find his way back into the trilogy?

Certain scenes set my teeth on edge. I was reminded of Rose in "The Titanic" and a certain gemstone. I screamed at Vasya, but she didn't listen. And it occurred to me: whenever I get that wrought up over a story, it's a sure sign the author has probed deep and struck a note that is authentic, and therefore maddening.

Because in real life, people are stubborn and impulsive and do things they may regret.

Others have summarized the plot. I have stopped doing that. Read the synopsis, read the reviews of those who have time to recapitulate the story arc and mention the incredible characters.

Vasya's brother, the priest, for one. Oh how I love him!

The horses are characters in and of themselves.

The house guardians - the way a new religion is weakening them - all too believable, even if this really is "only" fiction.

I am smitten. I want more. Arden gives us the magic of Harry Potter, a love story that transcends Edward and Bella's in "Twilight," and a tough heroine to rival Katniss of "The Hunger Games." Normally I avoid comparing novels this way, but Arden's series is so good, I can't believe it isn't already on the best-seller lists.

These days, I'm hard pressed to find a novel so good, I can't bear to set it aside and tend to other duties. (Hungry? Cook your own dinner. Buy your own groceries. The Frost King has come!)

Thank you for the magic!

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I really enjoyed this book. Vasya seems to have grown, which is great to see in any sequel. The interactions with Vasya and her brother seemed so real, and you just can't help but be pulled in.

I haven't read a lot of Russian folk tales, but I think I am going to have to really jump into them. There was a lot more action in this book then in the first one, which for me was really good. It kept the story from feeling stagnant, which was a problem I had with the first book. Thankfully that wasn't a problem here.

I would have loved to have more Morozko. He is by far my favorite character. Vasya and him have a great chemistry, and I am looking forward to them having more time together in the next book.

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Katherine Arden does not disappoint with this second installment of her Winternight Trilogy. It seamlessly continues the story of Vasilisa as she strives to find a place for herself in a world that does not take kindly towards change and independence, despite its desire to forget the unfathomable traditions of the past. While this is a book where the charm of magic and pagan mystery tries to maintain a steadfast hold, it also does not shy away from the very personal issues of identity and belonging, as well as delve into the broader concerns of power, politics and duty.

I think that duty becomes one of the main conflicts within this story, as the characters begin attempting to reconcile their sensibilities and personal wishes with the eventual need to follow through with the tasks and responsibilities they are expected to fulfill. This holds true for both women and men, as the reader witnesses with both Vasya and her brother Sasha, as well as many of the other characters met over the course of the novel. The reader is also presented with the alternative, the individuals who have already had to assume their respective roles, forced to learn to adapt and derive a sense of pleasure from the various situations within their control.

There is a lot of truth presented in this book, and Arden does not attempt to provide simple answers to many of the questions and issues that arise. Magic can only go so far in supporting the natural order of things.

This is truly an excellent work, and I personally can’t wait for the next installment.

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Just as entertaining as the first book, but with a much darker tone -- now to wait for the third! Again, there were one or two references near the end that weren't clear, but overall I enjoyed the continuation of the story.

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The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden already has garnered high praise and (to date) solid 5 star reviews on Amazon, just as did its predecessor The Bear and the Nightingale. The books are set in early medieval Muscovy ruled by princes under Tatar overlords. The people are deeply religious, superstitious, uneducated, yet as Arden shows us, admirable.

I enjoyed reading about early medieval Rus/Muscovy in both novels as it is an era and locale we seldom see in fiction. The people must be fierce and hardy to survive the long cold winters, muddy springs and falls. As the author noted, Vasya knows nothing of luxury. To her being warm, having enough to eat, having dry socks are luxurious. Ideas of beautiful furniture, wall hangings that are as much decoration as aids to warmth, of good food all winter, these are as fantastical as snowdrops in January.

We are meant to admire and identify with main character Vasya, the girl who found the snowdrops in winter, but I didn’t find her likable.

Vasya has dilemmas:

She can see the small household spirits, the ones in the bathhouse, the oven, the stable that almost no one else can, which in a superstitious age marked her as horribly different, a witch.
Vasya is a girl in an era when a high-born girl either married or entered the convent. Vasya wants neither of these; she wants adventure, she wants to travel.
She refuses to compromise or to decide what to do.
Reading the first half of the novel was like wading through icy cold water. We know nothing good can come of Vasya’s determination, there is no good ending possible. Once Vasya meets Prince Dmitrii and she and her brother Sasha lie to him that she is a young man, she has even fewer options and none are palatable.

Prince Dmitrii grows in this sequel. He had a small role in The Bear and the Nighingale, portrayed as young, somewhat self-indulgent. In this sequel Dmitrii acts as a prince. He routs bandits, tries to protect his people from avaricious Tatars, abhors lies.

The relationship between frost demon Morosko and Vasya is frustrating to read. It’s obvious something is going on with Vasya’s sapphire and that Morosko feels more for Vasya than he admits or that he believes he should. Vasya too has strong feelings but is confused as to what those are exactly. She is intrigued by Morosko, is grateful to him, enjoys his company but finds him difficult and opaque and she does not love him.

I don’t care for teen fantasy novels where the 16 year old idiot girl captivates the 2000 year old vampire/godlet/demon/what-have-you because it’s just stupid. To Arden’s credit the Vasya/Morosko semi relationship is believable – it has a quid pro quo at its heart although Vasya doesn’t know it – but the relationship still suffers from the underlying problems that Vasya is young and naive and doesn’t know her own heart.

My overall problem with the book is that it is not enjoyable reading. Every page brings the characters closer to doom. We know there is no happy ending, that nothing will be resolved – because the underlying problem cannot be solved – and that makes it difficult to read. Every page brought Vasya into more tanglements, more lies, more risk.

Vasya can not control herself while in Moscow, cannot follow her sister’s and brother’s commands to be quiet, to stay in the background. She takes a bad situation and made it far worse for herself and those she claims to love, just because she cannot control her curiosity, her bravado. I liked her less and less as the novel progressed.

This novel will get many accolades and probably awards, but I do not like it. The writing is excellent; the setting is unusual and intriguing, but the unlikable heroine Vasya and miserable options she makes for herself make it heavy going. In fact, had this not been a NetGalley where I’m obliged to write a review, I would have put the book aside and not finished.

If you are familiar with The Two Towers, the second book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkein, you know that it too has a sense of doom, of bad choices and no good options, of happy endings seemingly out of reach. Yet Tolkein manages to create a sense of hope, with excellent characters and a plot that moves along enough to keep us happy, reading despite the overarching feeling of menace. Arden’s novel lacks those elements, leaving only the feeling of menace, of doom, of a foreboding future. Had I liked Vasya no doubt I’d like the novel, but as it stands, I do not.

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The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden is the sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale and second book in the Winternight Trilogy. It picks up right after the first book ended with the aftermath of the final events. A band of bandits are terrorizes villages, burning them to the ground and taking young girls. Dmitrii, Grand Prince of Moscow sets out to investigate along with Sasha, the priest. At the same time, Vasya is starting to blaze her own trail, determined to make a life on the road as a Traveler. She is continually visited by Morozko, the frost demon. His help comes at a cost as the people will view her as a witch. When events puts her in the path and favor of Dmitrii, she must tread lightly to avoid being discovered as a girl as she is taken to Moscow. Little does she know that someone is plotting against her and each day she gets closer to discovery or escape. Will Vasya be discovered? Who is behind the plot against her?
I thoroughly enjoyed The Bear and the Nightingale and I eagerly waited for the chance to read The Girl in the Tower. This book did not disappoint. From page one, it was a nonstop adventure, with a bit of romance mixed with the thrill of the mystery surrounding Vasya. My favorite quote from the book is spoken by Morozko. He tells Vasya “Every time you take one path, you must live with the memory of the other: of a life left unchosen. Decide as seems best, one course or the other; each way will have its bitter with its sweet.” It is a very poetic statement about the ‘what ifs’ in life. I also eagerly await book three. I highly recommend The Girl in the Tower. A rich adventure story that you cannot miss. If you haven’t checked out The Bear and the Nightingale yet, I highly recommend that you do, you will not regret immersing yourself in this beauty story.

The Girl in the Tower
will be available on December 5, 2017
in hardcover and eBook

The Bear and the Nightingale
is currently available
in hardcover, paperback and eBook

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I definitely enjoyed this book more than the first one. The Girl in the Tower is definitely a tighter, more focused read, though I don't know if it's because we've been introduced to most of the characters before. There's a lot more action and adventure in this one, and Vasya continues to be a strong and intriguing character. Her horse Solovey was also kind of awesome, and I loved the newer Russian folklore characters.

My main problem was that it felt like the main threat/conspiracy didn't really get going until about 2/3rds of the way through the book. There was some build-up and introducing the characters involved in overthrowing the prince, but in terms of it being the focal point of the story I felt it happened a little later than expected and made the final fights feel a little rushed. I am looking forward to the third book to find out more about Vasya's grandmother though.

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The Girl in the Tower (The Winternight Trilogy #2)
by Katherine Arden
The second in a rewarding and thrilling series. Katherine Arden has captured the flavor and technique of the Russian greats. Her book has the flavor of mythos of the medieval Russia. The scholarly book The Girl in the Tower takes up where the Bear and the Nightingale left off. Vasya is a headstrong girl, given the ability to see the actual figures of russian fairytales. She inherited the gift from her great grandmother, but it's not the only thing that she finds passed down in her family. Vasya challenges the ideas of the role of the individual, the freedom denied women in medieval russia, and the idea of religion. She has an adventurous spirit and a fiery eternal strength, which will be placed to the test against a sorcerer and the whole of the Russian church. Can she save Moscow? Can she rescue her family name? Save her niece? And find the secret buried in her family heritage?

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The beautiful followup to The Bear and the Nightingale. Part fairy tale part Russian history and all powerful storytelling. I love the powerful Katya and the rich narrative is all encompassing. Although not 100% needed, I definitely would start with the first book first to get the full beauty if the characters.

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More often than not the second book in a series lacks the "wow" factor that first book had, but this is not the case for "The Girl in the Tower". Arden has managed to manifest more magical writing and storytelling in her second novel. Her strong female lead and unique take on Russian Medieval fairytales. The Winternight Trilogy is a must for anyone who loved classic bedtime stories as a child.

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